Keep focus on Dixie issue;
avoid individual attacks

In response to the Judi Schellenberg’s letter to the editor (“Glickman should focus her efforts elsewhere,” Nov. 28), it bears reflecting on Schellenberg’s observation that one must be African-American to stand up for an issue that affects African-Americans.

If we carry this idea to its logical conclusion, one can only imagine what the U.S. civil rights movement would have looked like.
The continued assaults on individuals such as Marnie Glickman, David Curtis and others involved in this issue is disturbing and fruitless. Focusing on the issue of the Dixie School District name change and maintaining mutual respect and civil dialogue is what matters.

We support “Change The Name,” along with elected officials such as Marin County Supervisor Kate Sears and San Rafael Mayor Gary Phillips, organizations such as the Marin Promise Partnership and the Marin County Human Rights Commission, leaders such as Dr. Thomas Peters, president and CEO of Marin Community Foundation and Melissa Cadet, executive director of the Marin City Community Development Corp., as well as hundreds of Marin County residents listed at changethename.net.

Questions about ‘Dixie’
and its Miwok origins

James Holmes’ suggestion (Readers’ Forum, Dec. 4), as that of Dick Spotswood, that “Dixie” could have a Miwok origin is interesting, but fatally flawed. The issue of the appropriateness of the term “Dixie” has involved a considerable debate and enlightened many on the history of the school district and people’s connection to it.

This recent element in the debate concerning the idea that the term “Dixie” did not refer to the old South, but rather to someone of Miwok ancestry, asserts that this was a Miwok name. One major problem with this claim is that this name (Dixie) does not appear in the official federal and tribal registers. I searched sources in vain.

There are some arguments that federally recognized tribal registers are incomplete, yet a second problem is that the name is not spelled as it would be were it an authentic Miwok name. If one were following Miwok pronunciation, and the orthography of the Miwok dialects, one would not produce a spelling as “Dixie.”

Sources as recent as 1974 and as far back as 1908 or 1911 in the work of Barrett or Kroeber fail to justify such an English form. The English pronunciation of “Dixie,” if written as transliteration even (given the dialect orthography) would produce something sounding like “Dixie” but spelled very differently.

Thus this route of explaining “Dixie” as the name of the school district is not convincing.

— Niccolo Caldararo, Fairfax

Housing First is best
solution for homeless

This first winter post-REST (rotating emergency shelter program) is challenging for all of us who worked so hard to provide companionship, a warm meal and a safe place to sleep for those living outside.

I was actively involved in REST, both on a parish level and as a member of the Marin Organizing Committee, advocating for year-round, low barrier shelter. We learned much in 10 years, and now know that unlike night-to-night shelter, evidence shows Housing First can most effectively end homelessness for our former REST guests.

Can’t we do both? The reality is that both financial and human resources are limited in our system of care. Financial and logistical support for REST (set up as a temporary solution) is better used housing people and keeping them housed. We need to acknowledge the tremendous efforts our homeless service providers, county and city of San Rafael are making in this system shift; now working together to provide homes and support services for our most vulnerable people.

REST was never able to care for the whole homeless population of Marin, serving 300-plus individuals per year. Housing First has already housed over 100 people, many former REST guests among them.

Is there more to be done? Absolutely. We need to continuously evaluate progress to meet our goal of housing 300 chronically homeless people in three years; assure that emergency weather standards work for our community; provide more housing; and the list goes on.